Type for printing vertical columns of figures.



. w. H; SMITH.

TYPE FOR PRINTING VERTICAL COLUMNS OF FIGURES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2. I915.

Patented 001. 17,191

Zlis firing ys UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. SMITH, OF LOS' ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO*S1VIITI-I- & 1VJIA1StSH INCORPORATED, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA;

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Paten-ted- Oct. 17, 1916.

Application filed October 2, 1915. Serial 1%. 53,711.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAu H. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Type for Printing Vertical Columns of Figures, of Which the' following is a specification. I

My invention relates to the art of printing. Inthat art as practised in a job printing house large numbers of ruled forms are produced. These forms are used byaccountants, and others, and may be bound into pads or books, or used separately. In such forms it is quite common to number each successive line, or to number lines at regular intervals. The figures used are usually consecutive, and form a vertical column. It is also common practice in specifications, legal papers, and other printed matter to similarly number either every line, or lines, at definite intervals. As a consequence of the great amount of work which must be so numbered there is a great amount of time spent in almost every job printing house in setting up and distributing. the type used in such vertical colunms of figures. I

The principal object of my invention is to greatly reduce the time so spent.

In the production of ruled forms it is common practice to produce the ruled lines in a ruling machine having multiple pens spaced accurately on the point system under which type is constructed. In the ordinary methods of setting up type for printing vertical columns of figures a large number of small pieces are necessarily used, and it is difficult and expensive to get an accurate alinement with the previously ruled lines.

It is a further object of my invention to provide means for producing such an alinement.

My invention contemplates the use of movable type which is set upin the desired order with suitable spacers. When once so set up the assembly is tied up with string and handled as a unit. The printer therefore sets up certain commonly needed vertical columns of figures and ties the type up. The unit so produced hetransfers in and out of his forms as desired, so thatone set-up only is necessary. The type members used. are of such a form that they can be re'adilytied'up, and when so tied the string used for tying them-is located in grooves entirely below the sides and ends of the type assembly,- so' that the assembled unit W111 readily lock up with the furniture, or with any other type that may be used. 7

Further objects and advantages will be made evident hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate several forms of my invention: Figure 1 represents an assembled unit using one form ofty'pe member. Figs. 2-, 3, and- 1 illustrate alternate forms of type member which may be'u'sed in assemblies similar to that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 represents the same type as assembled with the inclusion of suitable spacing members. Fig. 6 represents the type members'usedin the assembly shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 illustrates an example of a ruled form having a vertical column of figures printed thereon such asis the object of the invention to produce.

In the form'ofthe invention shown in these drawings it is desired to produce a ru led form such as that shown at 11 in Fig. 7. Ruledon thisform are a series'of lines 12, these lines being equally distant from each other, and being preferably ruled by multiple ruling pens. By the use of multiple ruling pensthedi stance between these lines is very accurately spaced according to the point system under whichstandard type is now made. In the production of ruled forms it is" very common to number the lines by means of a vertical column of figures 13, these figures being in consecutive order, and being located preferably in the" position shown. It is also extremely common to so number alternate lines, or lines at definite intervals, and it is also common to number the lines on aprinted page in the casev of legal documents, engineering specifications, and the like.- My invention is especiall-ydsigned to produce such forms accurately and economically.

My invention consists essentially in pro-- viding movable type members such as those shown in the drawings in which a body 20 is provided having a face character 21 formed thereon. Side string grooves22 are provided on either side of the body, and the vertical ax isof the face character is'arranged parallel to these sides. A separate font of type isprovided for each size of face character2l. In a job printing office, however, only a few sizes of face characters are necessary to suit" all the commercial requirements of the printers art. Several arrangements of body may be used. For example; the

body members may be similar to those shown at 30 in Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6, in which the width of the body is made a certain arbitrary size, and the thickness of the body is that common to standard type, having the same size of face character. Then type 1 of face character to be used with any line spacing greater than. the thickness of the type members 30. In common practice the printer has a font of type members such as those shown at 30, and a varied assortment of spacers 31, by means of which he can set up a type assembly such as that shown in Fig. 5, for certain standard ruling spacing. He then adopts these spacings as standard, using them whenever possible so that a few set up assemblies will take care of the greater portion of his work. Type members such as those shown at 32 may also be used in which the thickness of the body is greater than the height of the face characters so wide spacings may be produced using a narrow face character without use of spacers. In Figs. 2, 5 and 6 face figures, consisting of a single digit located in the center of the body member, are shown. It is often necessary. to use figures having two digits in which case the form of type member illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 may be used to advantage. In the form illustrated in these figures right hand members 33, and left hand members 31, are provided, each of these members consisting of a body one-half as large as the body 30, having a single side string groove 35, and having face characters 36 placed adjacent to the straight sides 37 which are opposite the sides having the side string grooves 35. The members 33 and 34 are assembled as shown in Fig. 3 to produce figures having two digits. When so assem bled they are equivalent to the members 30 in so far, as tying up with these members or with spacers is concerned.

With all these forms of type members the underlying object is to produce type members which can be set up in a certain order, and which can be tied up to form a unit, this unit readily locking up in the form with the various forms of standard furniture. For the purpose of so tying up the type members I use the string 4:0,this string assin throu h the side rooves 22 of the p b O b single digit type members, or through the side grooves 35 illustrated in Figs. 3 and a. It is necessary, however, if the assembled unit is to lock up in the form that there be no projections on the end of the unit, and for this purpose I provide end grooves 41, these end grooves extending across the end of certain of the type members, connecting the side grooves 22 as shown in the drawings. The end grooves 41 may be formed on the type members themselves as is the case in the member 32 illustrated in Fig. 2, or a separate end spacing block 42 may be provided as illustrated in Figs. 2, 5 and 6. By the use of the end spacing groove 11 it is possible to pass the string several times completely around the assembled unit, and to have the string well below the surface of the type so that the unit may be assembled with other type, or with printers furniture without the string 40 interfering therewith. For the purpose of assisting in the composition I provide small grooves 50 along one edge of the single digit type members, and spaces, and small grooves 51 along the side of the double digit type members illustrated in Figs. 3 andl.

The method'of operation of the invention will be evident from the foregoing description. The type members are assembled as shown in Fig. 1, being tied up with a string 10. l/Vhen so assembled they can be moved around without danger of any of them falling out or becoming misplaced, and they readily lock up in the form with standard type, or with standard printers furniture. If wider spacing is desired the spacers 30 are used. If the numbers run beyond one digit the double digit members 33 and 3% may be used, or type members having double digits cast thereon similar in form to the members 30 or 32 may be used.

I claim as my invention 1. A type member comprising a flat body having side string grooves on either edge thereof, and having a numeral figure on the top thereof said numeral figure having its vertical axis parallel with edges having said grooves, said flat body having an edge string groove on one end thereof said edge string groove registering at either end with said side string groove.

2. A type member comprising a flat body member having side string grooves at the same height on either side thereof, and a numeral figure on the top of said body, said numeral figure being arranged with its vertical axis parallel to said sides.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 25th day of September, 1915.

WILLIAM H. SMITH.

Qopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ratents,

Washington, D. C. 

